Editorial: Calisolar deal would be a shot in the arm

North central Ohio residents should feel encouraged that Calisolar is considering adding several hundred jobs back into the old General Motors plant.

The company has stopped short of saying it has made a final decision to come to Ontario, but all indications are that the solar industry company has a strong interest in the vacant Ontario plant and is negotiating with local, state and federal officials to make it happen.

With public decisions still pending at the state and federal level on major pieces of proposed incentive programs, a final decision may not come before spring or even summer.

It is heartening now, however, to recognize that a great deal of collaboration has taken place to put Ontario at the top of Calisolar’s list of potential sites. This teamwork, which has not been disrupted by party politics, has stretched from officials in Ontario up to the office of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown.

The administration of Gov. Ted Strickland has played a major role in the negotiations. The hand-off to newly-elected Gov. John Kasich is expected to be seamless.

If the deal is ultimately finalized, production at the plant may not begin until sometime in 2012.
Local residents should certainly feel optimistic about the future economic boost Calisolar could bring, but the potential reopening of the GM plant should not be viewed as the silver bullet that will solve all of our problems.

Mansfield, Ontario and Richland County governmental units all are facing difficult financial issues that can’t wait a year or two to be addressed. Tough decisions must be made now.

We certainly have our issues, but we also have some strengths that attracted outside investors to our community – a workable plant, a capable workforce, a tailored educational system and a community desire to get better.

The Calisolar deal is clearly not finalized.

A fair number of decisions have to be made yet and things can change. But local residents should enter the new year recognizing that others value what we have to offer and are considering joining us in our community.